Dates announced for 2014 PGA Tour of Australasia season

Following on from an exciting start to the 2014 PGA Tour of Australasia season, the PGA has announced the key dates for Australia’s biggest tournaments towards the end of the year.

Sports fans will be treated to plenty of golfing action this summer when the PGA Tour of Australasia travels to four Australian states and two additional countries.

Still to be played in 2014 are the Tour’s most lucrative tournaments including the inaugural Fiji International (14-17 Aug), Perth International (23-26 Oct), Australian Masters (20-23 Nov), Emirates Australian Open (27-30 Nov) and Australian PGA Championship (11-14 Dec) which are again set to feature some of the biggest names in world golf.

The PGA Tour of Australasia will also stage the Isuzu Queensland Open (28-31 Aug), South Pacific Open Championship (10-13 Sept), John Hughes Nexus Risk Services WA Open (16-19 Oct), WA Goldfields PGA Championship (30 Oct -2 Nov) and the NSW Open (13-16 Nov).

“This year is shaping up to be another incredibly successful season for the PGA Tour of Australasia,” said Brian Thorburn, Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of Australia.

“2014 will see the Tour travel to Natadola Bay in Fiji for the first time. With hometown hero Vijay Singh already signed on for the tournament we are excited by the opportunity to grow the game in this region.”

“It will also see the return of our oldest and most prestigious titles and I like all golf fans will be intrigued to see how the season plays out after Adam Scott came so close to capturing the elusive Triple Crown in 2013.”

All tournaments on the PGA Tour of Australasia offer Official World Golf Rankings points and in addition Professionals in 2014 will be competing for more than AU$8.4million in prizemoney.

This is an increase of approximately AU$1.2million on the previous season.

“One of our goals is to continue to grow the PGA Tour of Australasia to ensure that our Members can make a viable living playing golf at home but we’re also striving to expand the Tour to ensure the elite level of the game is accessible to as many fans as possible,” added Thorburn.

“It is well documented that the number of people playing golf increases during the summer which has a direct correlation with the PGA Tour of Australasia bringing the world’s best golfers to our shores.”

To date in 2014 four tournaments have already been played with New Zealander Gareth Paddison winning his second Victorian PGA Championship title, Anthony Summers and Dimi Papadatos claiming their maiden Tour victories at the Coca-Cola Queensland PGA Championship and New Zealand Open respectively while Matthew Griffin claimed his first title on homesoil at the Oates Victorian Open.

22-year-old Papadatos currently leads the race to claim the Norman Von Nida Medal, he sits on top the Order of Merit (OOM) with AU$143,967.

Courtesy of the PGA Tour of Australasia being a member of the International Federation of PGA Tours the OOM winner will earn entry into The Open Championship, a number of World Golf Championship events and the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 2015.

The PGA Tour of Australasia is proud to be a breeding ground for future talent.

Last year’s Perth International winner Jin Jeong has already made his mark on the European Tour by earning a place in this year’s Open Championship and will be joined by Rhein Gibson and Bryden Macpherson who are in the field courtesy of their finish at the 2013 Emirates Australian Open.

“Many of Australia’s best golfers, such as Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, John Senden and Marc Leishman had their first taste of life as a Professional on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Every year they come home to support the Tour but we also get to witness the emergence of future talent like Jack Wilson and Nathan Holman,” added Thorburn.

“This year is shaping to be no different. In the coming months we will be announcing the star players that will draw the crowds but I am equally looking forward to watching the next wave of young Australian talent rise to the top.”

For further information on the PGA Tour of Australasia please click here.

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